tattoos
Showing posts with label Yonge-Dundas Square. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yonge-Dundas Square. Show all posts

Monday, May 2, 2011

Children in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) held Music Monday 2011 which is a tribute to musical education in the schools. There were quite a number of concert bands, orchestras, choirs, and ensembles bringing the gift of music to downtown Toronto. I watched as the Lester B. Pearson CI Show Choir (glee) setup and then start their set at lunchtime.

Everyone seemed very happy to be in front of a large gathering of people which may help the kids to keep practicing their musical gifts, whether singing or playing a musical instrument.

April 29 was International Dance Day and part of the celebrations took place on Sunday down at Yonge-Dundas Square, hosted by Melissa D’Agostino. And remember, during International Dance Day, no dance is forbidden and the chicken dance can be done outside of wedding receptions!

Beautiful and colourful Polynesian dancers were joined by ballet, flamenco, tap and ballroom and many other flavours of dance as they performed on the covered stage across from the Eaton Centre. The participating stars and dance companies included the National Ballet of Canada Principal Dancers Guillanune Cote and Heather Ogden, the Ritmo Flamenco Dance and Music Ensemble, Allison Toffan: tap dancer, a dancer from ‘Billy Elliot’, Universal Vibes: deaf signing and dance, Sanskriti Arts Ensemble, Polynesian Dream (pictured above), Little Pear Garden Collective (pictured below), Jasmyn Fyffe Dance and the Rainbow Ballroom of Toronto. One of the important dance styles missing was ‘Dance, Dance Revolution’.
The Rainbow Ballroom (LGBTT and Straight friendly) dancers came out mixed and when the music started they went to same sex teams which the was very popular with the crowd.

Posted by Joe Hamilton.


See more photos after the jump.



Melissa D'Agostino (centre) joined by Billy Elliot dancer and his mother
Ritmo Flamenco Dance
Sanskriti Arts Ensemble, above and below

Jasmyn Fyffe Dance
Rainbow Ballroom

And speaking of dance and Billy Elliot don't forget that the musical production of Billy Elliot is playing in Toronto at the Canon Theatre until September 3.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

The UFC Experience descended on Yonge-Dundas Square on Wednesday, April 28, 2011 and it didn’t take long for fans of the mixed martial arts fighting league to gather, eager to see some of the stars of the sport. Three Ultimate Fighting Championship athletes including Ryan Bader and Jon Fitch greeted the large lunchtime crowd and signed autographs. Fighter Dominick Cruz came by later to sign autographs.
Fighter Ryan Bader (left), Royce Gracie (centre), Jon Fitch (right)

The big rig Octagon Nation was parked and inside you could find the massive silver UFC belt, pictures and memrobelia and actually wear a replica of the championship belt and stand next to the life-sized cardboard picture of Georges St-Pierre (GSP), picture at top.
Later, Octagon Girl Chandella Powell made an appearance along with fighter Josh Koscheck who also helped to receive the City of Toronto Proclamation presented by Mayor Rob Ford. You can also get UFC Fighter Stephan Bonnar’s autograph at Sears Yonge & Dundas today only between 6pm-8pm.
Octagon Ring Girl Chandella


See more photos after the jump (click on read more >>, below).

Mayor Rob Ford arrives
Fighter Josh Koscheck, left, holds the Mayor's Proclamation
XYIENCE was giving out free energy drinks
The Big Rig
102.1 The edge broadcasting from the site
Fighter Josh Koscheck
Mortal Kombat booth

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Earth needs more than an hour, my bitches, so Brita is giving her a month. People gathered in a long line that stretched around Yonge-Dundas Square, did a few loops around some barriers and waited for their turn to enter Brita Village to pick up a free Brita water pitcher and filter. Here is what they have to say about the event on the Square's website.


"A fun and interactive event at Yonge-Dundas Square that features a host of interactive games and activities along with a giveaway of 3,000 free Brita pitchers and filters as part of a cross-Canada effort to encourage Canadians to make the switch from bottled to filtered tap water.
And this year, the first 3,000 Torontonians who visit the Brita Village and collect three stamps on a special passport will receive a pitcher and can enter a draw for a chance to win $10,000.  For complete rules and regulations, visit www.filterforgood.ca
Green Works and MAJESTA will also be on site at the Brita Earth Month Village, offering activities and spot prizes in addition to products at reduced cost with all proceeds donated to Tree Canada.  Tree Canada (www.treecanada.ca) will offset the carbon generated by the Brita Village by planting trees in Brita's name and caring for them until maturity."
Check out my photos of nature stuff after the jump.


Nature pathway at the Humber Arboretum in fall.


Saturday, April 16, 2011

While streets were made for driving they can be a lot of fun to walk and ride in when busy roads are closed to cars - let freedom reign. Yonge Street and Bay Streets are favourites roadways that Toronto likes to open for pedestrians only during festivals and other large events.
Sometimes people are so jubilant that they gather in such large numbers near the Yonge-Dundas Square that they shut down the streets without official City approval - like when someone's soccer team wins a world tournament or a local beach volleyball team creams the competition down at Ashbridges Bay.
It takes a bit of skill to ride your bike in the busy downtown streets.

On the way somewhere with big, blue sunglasses.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

I knew spring was here but I was not prepared for the urban jungle that had grown around the TTC bus stop at the Dundas and Yonge intersection at the Eaton Centre. There must be a little more radiation in the air lately or maybe they were magical seeds.
Someone must have thought that this was the real deal because he was walking around in shorts - he looked to pasty white to have been a zombie so I am not really sure what the heck was going on with the show off - now that's a Canadian.
Across the street in the Yonge-Dundas Square there was the finals of the Great Canadian Appathon 2011. The goal was to develop a great mobile game in a limited amount of time and the winners took home a share of $45,000 in winnings.  Here is Super Punch team holding an oversize $25,000 prize cheque.
I saw a couple of free range Red Bull vehicles in the square, they are like CityTV, they are everywhere. Red Bull, still not as good as Dr Pepper Cherry!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

The annual Toronto Pillow Fight has moved from the Yonge and Eglinton to Yonge-Dundas Square. It also started later in the day from the previous rounds - now the pillows started flying at 8:00pm in the evening. Luckily the nearby advertising billboards provided some extra light on the fun. The pillow fighters wore less costumes due to the cold (even though some brave souls fought without shirts) than last year (see my pictures of the 2010 fight here).
I met Lori Kufner (above), one of the organizers of the Toronto event from www.NewMindSpace.com hugging a large stuffed bunny rabbit (I asked her if it pooped jelly beans and she said yes!), who was enjoying the amount of people who turned out to participate and also the people who were on hand to watch the excitement. The date change was made to coincide with International Pillow Fight Day held around the world on April 2nd.
There was also a band called Samba Elegua that had a groovin' beat pumping the crowd up in a fury of pillow flinging state and a small group friendly people giving out Free Hugs.


See more of my pictures after the jump (click on Read more >>,  below).



The Awesome League



Have you seen my change purse?


Samba Elegua (above and below)


Shirtless

 

blogger templates | Blogger